Fortunes of the Hart
by reilert79
Summary: Jennifer and Jonathan are having some serious issues, and may not be able to stay together. Also, someone close to them has betrayed them in a very devastating way they didn't see coming.
1. Chapter 1

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer comes in the house and puts her shopping bags down. There is a crazy, wicked storm brewing outside. Thunder and lightning were all around, and the wind was really picking up. The rain was going to start any second.

"Darling, are you home?"

Silence.

She took her bags upstairs and changed into some gray yoga pants and a tank top, and her house shoes.

She came back downstairs and picked up the phone to call Jonathan.

Nothing. Phone's dead.

"Damn".

She turned on the tv to the news, and then went to make herself a cocktail.

She headed to the kitchen and popped a lasagna into the oven, and set the timer and then settled back onto the couch with her cocktail.

The news was all about the weather, and the horrible storms they were predicting for the night.

She picked up the phone and heard a dial tone this time, and tried him at the office.

"Hello, Deanne? Is Jonathan still there?"

"Yes ma'am. There is a board meeting that went long."

"Can you ask him if he wants to speak to me?"

"Sure. One second".

She waited and sipped her cocktail.

"Mrs. Hart, he said no."

"Ok, thank you".

She hung up, feeling confused. He must be really stressed about something if he didn't want to talk to her.

She ate dinner alone, while the storm raged on, and then went upstairs and put on her pajamas.

She was asleep when he got home, around 11.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up before Jonathan's alarm went off and got in the shower. She decided to run some errands today, and maybe take a spin class and a yoga class at the gym.

She was downstairs, and had made his coffee and breakfast when he came in the kitchen.

"Morning darling".

"Bye darling".

She kissed his cheek and then grabbed her purse and keys and left.

Jonathan sighed. He had some making up to do.

He ate his breakfast and then started the dishwasher before heading to the office.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer went and had a spa day, to relax. She got a deep tissue massage, and a deep cleansing facial, and a seaweed body wrap.

After all that, she went and picked up his dry cleaning, renewed their car tags, and stopped at the grocery store and stocked up.

She got home around 2, and was putting the groceries away when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi darling. I've been calling you for hours, are you alright?"

"I'm fine".

"Glad to hear it. I was worried".

"I ran some errands and had some appointments, and just got home".

"How about you and me have a special evening tonight?"

"Sure. What time should I expect you?"

"5:30, maybe 6".

"What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise, wear something formal, and I will see you at 5:30".

"Great. See you then".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

She got all the groceries put away and then went upstairs and took a bubble bath.

She soaked for a really long time, and as she was getting out of the bath, the phone rang. She wrapped a towel around herself and went to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Hi darling. Listen, we had to call an emergency board meeting, and it's going to last all night. So, we are going to have to postpone our evening. I'm sorry".

"It's fine, Jonathan." She sounded annoyed.

"Jennifer, I'm really sorry".

"I heard you. I said it's fine".

"Ok, well I need to get to it. I will see you when I get home, if you are still up".

"Bye darling".

She hung up the phone. She didn't blow him a kiss, and she realized that he hadn't told her he loved her either.

She put on some lounging clothes and hung her gown back in the closet.

She worked on a new novel some, and had dinner alone again, and then went to bed. He came in around 10, and she was already asleep.

***Middle of the night***

She woke up to go to the bathroom, and realized that he was home, and in bed with her.

She was coming back to bed, and realized that she was getting a headache. She went downstairs to get some medicine and some water and laid down on the couch for a minute. She fell asleep and slept there all night.

***Morning***

Jennifer woke up around 7, as another storm was rolling in. She got up and made coffee, and bacon and eggs. She ate and then went upstairs. Jonathan was in the shower, so she went and showered in the guest bathroom.

She was downstairs in the study, and on the phone when Jonathan came in.

"I can definitely make that appointment today. How about 11, here at the house? I can make us lunch".

She saw Jonathan, and waved at him, and pointed at the phone.

He came over and kissed her forehead and then she sat back down, still talking to Marcy.

He left and went to the office, and after she saw him drive out of the driveway, she relaxed a little.

She and Marcy chatted a little longer and then they hung up. She got the house ready for Marcy to come over around 11.

Jennifer had always been really good at processing her emotions, especially where Jonathan was concerned. However, she was in serious need of a vent session.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan was in his office, sitting at his desk. He was trying to figure out how he should approach the situation with Jennifer. She was his everything, but they hadn't been on the same page lately, and it was his fault.

Stanley was looking into something for him, and he was anxiously awaiting the results.

He picked up the phone and called the house.

She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey. You need something?"

"Just to talk to you."

"That's sweet".

"I'm sorry about last night, couldn't be helped".

"It's ok".

"How about La Scala for dinner tonight?"

"Sounds fine".

"Jennifer, I-"

"Jonathan, I have to go. Someone's at the door".

"I love you".

She had already hung up.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer hung up the phone and went to answer the door. It was Marcy.

"I am so glad you are here".

"Are you ok? You didn't sound like yourself on the phone this morning".

"I guess. Maybe, I don't know".

Marcy put her purse down, and they went to the kitchen.

"I ordered us a Mexican spread from Espana. So, feel free to make yourself a plate."

After they had their plates and drinks, they went to the patio to chat.

"Jennifer, you don't look like yourself, what is going on?"

"I wish I knew. Jonathan has been so distant. He's been out of town about 8 weekends in a row. I offer to go with him, and he says no, it's just going to be work. We make plans, he breaks them. He calls me to apologize, and makes new plans and then breaks those too. I have had dinners alone, gone to bed alone, the whole bit. Used to, he would wake me up when he got home, if I was asleep. Now, he doesn't even try. If we talk on the phone, he hangs up without saying he loves me. And the worst part is I can feel him slipping away, and I don't know even know if there is anything worth saving. I mean, if I was the one slipping away, would he make the effort? There used to be a time where I thought he would, but now I cannot say that for sure any more".

Jennifer wiped her eyes, and took a sip of her drink.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Not really. He came into the study this morning when you and I were on the phone, and normally I would have told him to stay and gotten off the phone, but this time I didn't. I called him at the office yesterday, and he was in a board meeting, and I asked his secretary to see if he wanted to talk to me and he said no. That was really hurtful, so I sure wasn't going to give him the time of day this morning. I even took a shower in the guest room this morning. I was hoping that he would go to work without waiting for me, and eventually, he did".

"Jennifer, you and Jonathan have to work this out. You have to talk to him".

"I wouldn't know what to say".

"Tell him how you feel. He cannot fix what he doesn't know needs fixing".

"How could he not know?"

"Well, maybe he does know. Maybe he hopes that he's the only one who does know, and he doesn't know what to do".

"So, you are saying I should stay up and wait up for him tonight? Make him talk to me?"

"Yes, I am. If he is important enough to you that you are upset about it, he's important enough to you to fix it".

"He is important to me. I don't think I am as important to him as I used to be".

"Ok, so that's your first point to make to him. Back it up with evidence, and make sure that he knows exactly how you feel".

Jennifer nodded.

"I hope it's going to be as easy as you are making it sound".

She was quiet for a few minutes.

"I never thought we would end up in this place".

Marcy reached out and took her hand.

"Every couple has a rough patch at some point. If 2 people who love each other don't ever hit a rough patch, they aren't in love with each other. This is totally normal, you just gotta buckle down and get through it".

Jennifer nodded.

"I hope I am not the only one putting in any effort here".

"I am sure you won't be. When I look at the two of you, there is an electricity that you can see between ya'll, that I bet you two don't see. But everyone else can see it. Something tells me that he is feeling just as bad about things as you are".

"I guess we'll see".

She and Marcy cleaned up the kitchen and put the leftovers away, and then moved to the den.

Jennifer had initially invited Marcy over to go over BoardWives stuff, so she grabbed her notebook.

"Jennifer-we can do this another day. Focus on Jonathan and you right now, ok? I will pick up the slack, and I can fill you in. Swear it".

"I think maybe I need to go clear my head. Maybe take a drive through the canyon, go sit on the beach, something".

"That's a great idea. I bet you will feel better and less anxious about talking to Jonathan after you do that. And take your makeup with you, so you can fix your face before you see him. You want to be flawless".

"Great idea".

Jennifer ran upstairs and grabbed her makeup bag, and changed tops into a purple v-neck sleeveless tunic that was just the barest bit shimmery.

"Nice top".

"Thanks, I bought it just yesterday".

Jennifer got her stacked flip flops on, and grabbed her keys and her purse.

"Thanks for coming to talk to me today. I appreciate you". She gave Marcy a long hug.

"We are tight, you know that. I hope it works out the way you want it to".

Jennifer locked the door and then she and Marcy left at the same time.

She drove around through the Canyon, and then decided to head to the beach house.

She heard a ding, and looked down. Her gas light was on, so she pulled into the next gas station. She and Jonathan, and mainly Max, had been getting gas here for years.

She popped the gas tank open, and got out her credit card. She slid it in the slot and then started trying to get gas. It wouldn't pump. She looked at the screen and it said "Declined".

"Declined? That can't be right".

She tried all the other credit cards she had, including the one that was for emergencies only. All declined.

She finally just paid cash for her gas and then sat in the car as it filled up.

She called the bank to see why her debit card wasn't working.

"Ma'am, your account has been closed. You and Mr. Hart had 6 accounts, and 5 have been closed, and one has 4,000 dollars in it. Your personal account is still fluid".

"Who closed our accounts?"

"Let me check. One moment".

Jennifer heard the bank representative typing, and was growing impatient.

"Ok ma'am. On all 5 accounts, they were closed by Jonathan Hart. The one that has $4000 in it, had $950,000 in it, till two weeks ago, when Jonathan Hart made a withdrawal of 946,000 dollars".

"Ok. Can you print that out for me and I will be there in about 5 minutes to pick it up?"

"Certainly. You can even come in the drive-thru. Just ask for Lindsay".

"Thank you, Lindsay".

She hung up, and finished getting gas, and then got back in the car.

She called Jonathan's office.

"Hi, Deanne? I need a favor. I am coming there to speak with him. Please, don't let him leave at all for any reason. Do whatever you have to in order to keep him there, and please don't tell him I coming".

"Yes, Mrs. Hart".

She headed to the bank, got the papers and then headed to Hart Industries to confront Jonathan.


	2. Chapter 2

***Hart Industries***

Jennifer pulled in and parked, and got out. She was walking quickly and with purpose, as she always did when she was upset. She took the elevator upstairs to Jonathan's floor and headed to his office.

"Hi Deanne. Thanks for keeping him here. Listen, this is important, so please hold all his calls, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am".

Jennifer opened the door and stormed towards his desk.

"Hi darling. This is a nice surprise".

"Won't be for long. Why, Jonathan? Why would you do this?"

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

"Jonathan, our bank cards don't work".

"Did you buy something frivolous?"

"Since when is gas for the car frivolous? And since when do you get to tell me what I can and cannot spend money on?" Her eyes were blazing.

He sighed. "Just tell me what happened".

"I was upset, so I went for a drive to clear my head. I heard my gas light ding, stopped to get gas. Only, I couldn't, because my credit card didn't work".

She grabbed her wallet and pulled it out.

"And then this one didn't work, and then this one didn't work. Spoiler alert- none of them worked. Thankfully, I had enough cash to cover it, but did you think that you withdrawing all of our money for God knows what reason wouldn't affect me?"

"Jennifer, I didn't withdraw any money".

"Well, the bank says you did".

She handed him the statements.

"I called the bank after I paid for gas. Lindsay, at our local branch, said that out of our 6 accounts, 5 were closed. By you. And the 6th, had $950,000 in it. Now it has $4000. None of our credit cards or bank cards are connected to that one, so that wouldn't help me at the gas station".

"I am calling our accountant Bob right now. I didn't make these withdrawals. He would be the only one who could have authorized this, besides me or you".

She was quiet while he was on the phone.

He hung up.  
"No answer".

Just then, Stanley Friesen came in the office.

"Mr. Hart, I think I may have found something".

"Stanley, don't you know how to knock?"

"Jennifer, I asked Stanley to dig into something, it's alright".

She walked over and sat down on his couch.

Jonathan sighed, as he always did when she was pissed.

"What is it Stanley?"

"I checked into why the company credit card that you gave me today didn't work, but I didn't stop there. I checked all the company credit cards. The reason is the same for all of them. The bills for the credit cards haven't been paid in 2 months".

"That's ludicrous! Bob Stanton has always paid our bills on time, every month, like clockwork".

"Here is the paperwork".

"Thanks Stanley".

"Sure". He left without saying anything to Jennifer.

He pulled up the attendance records of the employees, and saw that Bob hadn't been to work in a month, having taken an extended vacation. He called down to HR.

"Hello Melanie, can you please pull the vacation request for Bob Stanton in Accounting and bring it up to my office? Thank you".

Jennifer stood up and walked over to his desk.

"I'm going to go, I will see you tonight, if you get home before midnight".

He stood up and came over to her.

He didn't say anything and just pulled her into an embrace.

"What are you doing?"

"Babe, we haven't spent any time together the last few days, and I know that I am to blame for that. But, I do still want to hug and kiss you every chance I get".

"Do you? We've drifted Jonathan, don't you see that?"

"Yes, and I hate it. I know I've been working a lot lately, and I know that I have had some emergencies, but you are still the most important thing in my life, darling".

"Jonathan, I have eaten the last 4 dinners alone. I have gone to bed alone the past 5 nights. This morning, I got up and took a shower in the guest bath and you didn't even notice. I called here to talk to you yesterday, and you told Deanne that you didn't want to speak to me. You used to wake me up when you got home, and now you don't even try. So, don't tell me I am important to you when you can't even exert the effort to make me feel like you even notice my presence".

"Come here". He led her to the couch and they sat down.

He grabbed her hands and just looked at her.

"I'm sorry. I guess it all just got out of hand".

"All what just got out of hand?"

"We had a merger that I was trying to complete. That was last week. And then as soon as I completed it, there was another one that I had to act fast on because otherwise, someone else would snap it up. And then one of the board members was demanding a meeting, so we had to call it the other night, and I tried, I really, really tried to get out of here as quickly as possible, but it didn't happen. But I did come straight home when it was over".

She looked at him, without saying anything.

He continued.

"I got home last night, you were sleeping, and I climbed into bed and held you. I was hoping we could get a few minutes together this morning, but when I woke up, you weren't in the bed. I found you downstairs in the study, and you were on the phone. I waited as long as I could, but I had a meeting this morning I couldn't miss".

She spoke quietly.

"I was still hurt that you said no yesterday to talking to me".

"I didn't say no. I said "not right now". We had an emergency that we were trying to work through. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to you, it was that I didn't have time".

"We used to make time, right then, no matter what, for each other".

"We did. You are right".

"I hate this feeling".

"What feeling?"

"Feeling like you and I lost our spark. Feeling like we are slipping away and can't fix it".

Her eyes welled with tears, and she looked away, towards the window.

"I tell you what. Let me figure out this accountant thing, and I will put Stanley in charge of the mergers for a while, and you and I can go somewhere, just the two of us, and take some time together".

"Jonathan, we can't fix this with a vacation. We have real problems".

"Ok, so tell me what you want to do. I will do whatever it is".

"I want you to put forth the effort. I want to see, and feel that you care".

"Jennifer, I just made a suggestion that we go away and spend time just the two of us, and you shot it down without even thinking about it".

"I shot it down because when you and I go away, we don't 'fix' anything. We just shove the issues under the rug, and hope that we don't find them when we get home".

He was quiet, and didn't know what to say.

"I miss you, Jonathan. I miss us. I miss spending time with you, I miss waking up with you. And I'm scared. I am terrified that we won't get it back".

"Babe, we will get it back. We will. You just have to have faith in what we have".

"I'm trying. Being alone all the time isn't very fun, Jonathan. I make dinner for the both of us, and eat in front of the tv. I go to bed in our bed, and fall asleep by myself. This has been going on for weeks, Jonathan. Either you aren't in town, or you aren't at home. I caught myself smelling your clothes yesterday just because I missed you. But after Deanne said you said no to talking, I'd be damned if I came down here and told you so".

"Where did you sleep last night?"

"In our bed, till the middle of the night, and then I woke up to go to the bathroom, and realized that I had a headache, and went downstairs to get meds. I slept on the couch the rest of the night".

"Ok. So, what do we do? I want to get to the bottom of this accounting thing, and then I want us to spend some real time together, just us, no interruptions. What do you want?"

"I want it to be like it used to be. I want us to want to be together".

"Are you saying you don't want to be with me?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I am saying-I have been saying- that I feel like we are slipping away".

"And I am saying that I will do whatever it takes to stop that, and get us back to where we used to be".

"And I appreciate that. I do. It's just that we are in this cycle that we can't seem to break".

"What cycle?"

"We make plans, you call and break them. We make new plans, you call and break those too. And I end up doing everything that I used to do with you, without you. And then when you try and make it up to me, I am resentful and hurt still, so I push you away. I hate feeling like this, you hate feeling like this, but how do we stop feeling like this?"

He put his arm around her, and pulled her closer. He grabbed her hand with his other hand.

"We make a genuine effort to spend quality time together, and we commit to fixing this, whatever it takes".

She nodded.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away, this morning. And I'm sorry I came in here yelling at you".

"Babe, we are going to figure this out, together".

She nodded.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Just then, there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in".

Melanie from HR came in and walked over to him.

"Here is the file you requested, Mr. Hart".

"Thank you, Melanie".

She left and Jonathan opened the file.

"This is ridiculous".

"What does it say?"

"It says that I authorized him to take more than a month off, and I swear I didn't".

"Does it say where he was going?"

"No, it just says that he was approved, by me, to go on vacation from Monday, two weeks ago, till a month from tomorrow. I would have never approved anyone to take a vacation for that long".

"Maybe it was a misprint, like he wrote the wrong date on the form."

"Maybe…"

He thought a moment, and then looked at her.

"Take a drive with me?"

She nodded.

They headed to the elevator, and then to his car.

***Bob Stanton's***

Jonathan and Jennifer were quiet on the way to Bob's house.

He reached over while he was driving and took her hand.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to Bob's house. Lots of papers lined the driveway.

They pulled up to the front door and parked.

Jonathan came around to Jennifer's side of the car, and opened the door for her.

"Thank you".

They walked up to the front door, and knocked.

Nothing. They walked around the entire house, and didn't find an open window, or open door.

They were at the back door, trying to figure out what to do.

"We could call the police and have them come do a well check".

"We could. Or we could look for a key and see if we can get in".

"Jonathan, that's not ethical".

"Jennifer, he could be in there, hurt or worse…".

"Which is why we should call the police".

"If we do that, we cannot handle this ourselves".

"Why do we always have to handle it ourselves?"

He sighed.

He leaned up against the window and peered in.

"Babe….there's no furniture in here. I think he has taken off".

"With our money?"

"And everything he owns".

He grabbed her hand and they went back to the car, and he called Lt. Grey.

"Herschel, can you meet me at 8745 Steeplegate Cove? I need you to do a well check on an employee of mine".

"Sure Jonathan, I will be right there".

Jennifer and Jonathan sat in the car and waited for Lt. Grey.

It was a little awkward, only because Jennifer wasn't saying much.

Lt. Grey got there a few moments later, and officially started an investigation into the disappearance of Bob Stanton.

After looking around the house and realizing that he had basically left without telling anyone, Lt. Grey looked at Jonathan and Jennifer.

"We are going to need your statements, and you both need to understand, he might not ever be found. But we are going to try".

Jonathan drove Jennifer back to the office, and Lt. Grey followed them.

They came inside to Jonathan's office, and gave Lt. Grey their statements. He left, and Jonathan looked at Jennifer.

"I am going to have the accounting department go over our finances so that we can figure out exactly what we have and what we don't".

"Jonathan, they work for you. That's not wise".

He let out a deep breath.

"Maybe you are right. We should call someone else".

He called one of the best accounting firms in town, and they said someone would be over within the hour.

Jennifer settled on to his couch and picked up a magazine that was on his side table and started reading.

Jonathan came and sat at the other end of the couch, and pulled her feet onto his lap.

He started giving her a foot massage, and he looked over and could see she was getting a headache. She always squinted her eyes when her head hurt.

She put the magazine down and leaned forward and got a legal pad and a pen.

"Jonathan, can we talk a minute?"

"Sure".

"What do we own that we are still paying on?"

"The house is paid off. Most of the cars are paid off, we still owe about a year's worth of payments on your Porsche, assuming that he was paying that bill. The boat is paid off, Hart Industries signed the beach house over to us, so we don't owe on that. The cabin, the ranch, all paid for. Our new plane still has several payments. If he stole from Hart Industries, then that might be an issue, as will payroll. Gosh, I can't believe this is happening".

She sat up and moved closer to him. She didn't know what to say, she never thought they would be dealing with this either.

"Lindsay at the bank said that my personal account is fluid. Last time I looked was 2 weeks ago when I deposited my last paycheck, and it had several hundred thousand dollars. We can live off that for a while if we need to. I suppose we can start downsizing, and selling things that we have, like our art collection, maybe."

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Jonathan, I am not asking you this because I don't trust you, I want you to know that up front. I have never asked you this because I figured it was your business, but under what circumstances does this company pay you?"

"I get a salary of somewhere around $8-10 billion a year, depending on bonuses. Payday is next Friday. Typically, Bob would deposit anywhere around 10 to 12 million in our personal accounts, and then the rest in savings."

"So, we could technically fix this in a few days."

"We? Don't you mean me?"

"There you go, pushing me away again".

"Jennifer, I didn't mean that the way it sounded".

"Enlighten me on what possible other meaning you had in mind".

"Why are you being so snarky?"

"Why are you being so distant? I didn't cause this, Jonathan. Your accountant did. I am not the enemy here".

"I am not saying that you are. Look, this isn't any fun for me either. But the reality is, he stole our money, and as soon as the accountant gets here, they can figure out if he stole from Hart Industries also".

He got up and called the accounting department.

"Yes, I need a statement of all of Hart Industries accounts, right away. Bank statements, including withdrawals and deposits, and highlight the balances please".

The accountant that Jonathan had hired walked in just then.

"Hello, I am Morgan Alexander, from Weston, Douglas and Todd."

"Hi, I am Jonathan Hart, this is my wife Jennifer, thanks for coming". He explained the basics to her, and that their former accountant worked for the company as well as handled his and Jennifer's personal finances as well.

"He had the power to handle our accounts as he saw fit, he could move money around, deposit, withdraw, everything. All of our accounts except Jennifer's personal one, and our savings account he was only allowed to deposit only. We just need to know where we stand and how much he took".

"Ok, can you have the accounting firm send over statements of the company's accounts?"

"Already did. They should be here anytime now".

"Perfect, I will start with your personal accounts. Just so you know, this might take several hours".

Jennifer grabbed her purse and touched Jonathan's arm.

"I'm going home. I will see you…well, I guess whenever you get home".

He walked her to the elevator.

"Jennifer, I promise you I will be home as soon as I can be".

She nodded, and leaned forward and kissed him.

The doors closed, and she headed home.

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer was in bed when Jonathan came in. She came out to the top of the stairs, and saw him coming through the door.

She walked down to meet him on the third stair.

"So, what did we lose?"

He gave her the saddest look.

"Everything".


	3. Chapter 3

She sat down on the landing, and he came and did the same.

"Everything, everything?"

He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Everything. He wiped out the payroll account, and the building fund account. Morgan determined that he hasn't paid any of Hart Industries bills for months. He was in charge of that, so they all came to him, and rarely crossed my desk. He was giving me monthly statements that he had paid them, but he was making up those statements himself on the computer. I can't pay my employees at the office. Morgan made a few suggestions that I don't like, but we might not have any choice. One of them being, she wants us to sell some of the cars and the beach house, and this house. She suggested that we sell the plane if we can, and close our offices in New York and London. She said that it might take 5 years to rebuild….and I just don't know if I have 5 years in me".

She rubbed her hand across his back.

"Darling, we have other options. How much is payroll?"

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 million, I don't recall the exact figure".

"We can tap into my Edwards family trust. It has at least 10 times that".

"No, that's your money. I couldn't ask you to do that. You might need it one day. We might need it, if we get through this".

"Did he pay our taxes this year?"

"Yes. That was the last bill he paid".

He turned to look at her.

"Babe, I'm sorry, but we might have to sell the boutique".

"I understand. I am ok with it".

"We should keep your car, and my car. And the ones that we own outright. I could sell one of the Bentley's, I suppose. I could sell the plane, I suppose. Maybe, I should just close it down, all of it."

"Jonathan, you said yourself that you would be able to fix this in a matter of days. Closing the business seems a little extreme".

"I don't know what else to do. I literally cannot figure out what option is best, and somehow I have to explain this to the board".

He stood up and grabbed his keys.

"Where are you going?"

"For a drive".

"Wait a minute, I will come with you".

"No thanks, I prefer to be alone".

He walked out the door, without saying another word.

Jennifer sat on the stairs a little while, waiting for him, and then finally went upstairs to bed.

He returned home about 2 hours later, and quietly slipped into bed beside her.

***The next morning***

Jonathan woke up when his alarm went off and headed for the shower.

Jennifer got up and went and made coffee, and then took a shower after him.

She was downstairs making breakfast when he came down.

"Jonathan, I was thinking we should go to the bank today and do some transferring and take his name off our accounts".

"Jennifer, I told you last night I would handle this. I don't need any help".

"Jonathan, I-"

"Jennifer, ENOUGH! Just leave it be!"

She didn't say another word, just put the plate of bacon and eggs in front of him and walked out of the room.

He heard the door shut a few minutes later, and then her car start.

He left about 10 minutes after she did, and headed to the office.

***Jennifer***

Jennifer went to her boutique, and went in the back door, and straight to her office. Nobody was there yet, so she knew she wouldn't be disturbed. She pulled out the paperwork that showed who owned the boutique. She was the sole owner, and Jonathan owned the strip that it was located in.

She made copies of all the paperwork, and decided to ask a broker about figuring out how much it was worth and how much she could sell it for.

She went and moved some of her money to their primary account at the bank.

She was so hurt that Jonathan was acting like she couldn't be helpful.

She decided to go to the office and talk to him, instead of waiting all day to see him again, if he came home at all.

***Hart Industries***

Jennifer walked into Jonathan's office. He was on the phone.

She sat and waited, and a few minutes later, he hung up.

"I don't want to keep you, but I wanted to tell you that I moved some of the money from my personal account into our primary account, so if nothing else, our debit cards will work again. I also called a broker and left a message requesting to talk to them about selling the boutique. I own the boutique, you own the strip. Even though you think you can't depend on me to help you with this, I can be of some use to you right now".

"I never said you weren't useful or that I didn't need you to help me through this".

"Yes, you did. This morning. You're right though, that you didn't say it. You screamed it".

"I'm sorry. It's just that I know the best way to handle this. I am doing the best I can".

"I thought we were a team. What happened to that? It used to be us against the world, and now it's us against each other".

"Jennifer, I don't have time for this. We are going to have to talk when I get home".

"Don't bother. You can stay at the beach house till you figure out what you really want".

She grabbed her purse, and turned and walked out the door without another word.

***Two days later***

Jennifer hadn't heard from Jonathan since their fight in his office.

She was determined that he was going to have to come to her. She was tired of being pushed away, and she wanted him to make an effort.

She got a call from the DA requesting that she come answer some questions. She went and was honest.

"My husband has always handled the bills, because he had his accountant do it. He pays the household bills, I pay my personal bills. I have a personal account that I manage."

"Have you ever met Bob Stanton?"

"Possibly at a party once, maybe twice. But he isn't someone I see every time I go to the office".

She answered every question honestly and then they told her they would be in touch.

She headed back home.

She walked in as the phone was ringing, and hurried to grab it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. Hart, it's Deanne. Mr. Hart asked me to call and see if you could meet him this afternoon at 4:30?"

"Ok, does he want me to come to the office?"

"The address is 7642 Colorado Avenue, suite 435".

"Ok, tell him I will be there".

"Goodbye Mrs. Hart".

They hung up the phone.

She looked at the clock.

1 p.m.

She made herself a salad and then emailed Marcia, telling her that she would take any assignment she had.

Around 3:45, she left to go meet Jonathan.

She got there at 4:15, and found the office.

She read the door.

"Dr. Sarabeth Rawlings, LMFT".

She hesitated, and then went inside and walked to the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, I believe my husband and I have an appointment here at 4:30".

"Yes ma'am. Fill these out and then bring them back and we will get your file created".

She sat down and filled out the paperwork, and then turned it back in.

"As soon as your husband gets here, we will pull you back".

She took a seat and tried to read a magazine.

After about 15 minutes, the receptionist called her to the desk.

"Ma'am, your husband just called. He said he can't leave work and needs to cancel the appointment".

That familiar feeling came over Jennifer.

"Did he say if he was rescheduling?"

"No, he opted not to".

"Thank you".

She walked out the door and headed home.

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer came inside and fixed herself a very strong cocktail.

She went outside and sat on the swing for a bit.

She came back inside and started making herself dinner.

The phone rang, just as she was about to sit down and eat.

"Hello?"

"Jennifer, hi! It's Susan".

"Hey, how are you?"

"Fine, just fine. Listen, Marcy and a few other Board Wives and I were talking, and we have decided to take a girl's vacation to Hawaii. We couldn't do it without you, so we need to know what your schedule looks like".

"That's great, but I am sorry Susan. I can't afford it financially right now. I hope you guys have a nice time. Listen, I have something in the oven, and I need to get it. Talk to you later".

She hung up the phone, hoping that they wouldn't press her on it.

She had just finished dinner, when the gate buzzer rang.

"Hello?"

"Delivery for the Harts".

"Come on up".

She opened the gate and then waited for the doorbell to ring.

When she opened the door, she found Marcy, and Susan, and Natalie. They had wine and cups and a cheese and sausage plate.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to check on you. You didn't sound right on the phone".

"I'm fine. Come on in".

She shut the door behind them, and they all went and sat on the couch.

Susan looked at Jennifer.

"Come on Jennifer, you and Jonathan could buy Hawaii if you wanted. What gives?"

"Nothing, really".

Marcy came and sat by Jennifer on the other side.

"You didn't talk to him, did you?"

"I tried. It didn't go well. I mean, it kind of went well, but then it didn't".

Susan and Natalie looked at Marcy.

"What's going on?"

"Jonathan and I are in a rough spot. And we can't seem to find our way out of it."

"How rough?"

"Rough enough that two days ago I told him to stay at the beach house till he decided what he wanted, and I haven't heard from him since. So, obviously, he doesn't want me".

"He hasn't called you? Or come by the house? Not once?"

"Well, he had his secretary call me and ask me to meet him at a counselor's office, and I agreed. He didn't show up".

Jennifer drank her wine, and then poured some more.

"So, take this girl's trip with us. You need to get your mind off things".

"Susan, I wasn't kidding. I cannot afford it".

Susan gave her a pointed look.

"Ok, this is confidential you guys. Promise me".

"Promise".

"Promise".

"Promise".

"Our accountant stole our money and took off. We have enough left to live on for a while, and I am confident that his company will help us rebound. But he is not. So, we are cutting back big time, and we don't know what the future holds, just yet".

"How did this happen?"

She turned to Marcy.

"When we left the other day, and I said I was going for a drive, I ran out of gas. It was then that I discovered that my credit cards don't work. So, I paid cash for my gas, and then called the bank, thinking it was a computer error or something. They confirmed that all of our accounts except 1 were empty, and the final one was almost empty. They said Jonathan did it, so I went to the office to confront him. He knew nothing about it. He said that he hadn't done it, but that our accountant had the power to do it for him. We drove to his house, and there are at least 3 week's papers in the driveway. We looked in his windows. Nothing was in the house. Jonathan had HR pull his file, and saw that this guy had forged Jonathan's signature on a vacation request form for him to take at least 4 weeks off, with no set return date. Jonathan swears he wouldn't have ever approved that. He wiped out some business accounts, and hasn't been paying some bills. It's a big mess. And I try to help Jonathan and he pushes me away. So, then I get hurt, and push him away. We just can't seem to break this cycle".

"Why don't you take him dinner at the office? I am sure he will stop for you".

"I went there two days ago, and we couldn't have a 4-minute conversation without an argument".

"Have you guys called the police? It's possible that you might find this guy and your money".

"We did. I am sure if they find anything, Jonathan will be who they contact".

"Well, we aren't going to take no for an answer. We will either treat you, or we will just postpone the trip till you can come".

"That's right. It wouldn't be the same without you".

"What would I do without you guys?"

"Let's hope we never have to find out".

They sat there with her, chatting and gossiping, and trying to cheer her up.

They left around 9, and she locked up and then went upstairs to bed.

The house was so lonely without Jonathan, but she wasn't giving in. Not this time.

She fell asleep within minutes, and around 10:45, she woke up. She thought she heard something, but she couldn't be sure. She decided to go to the bathroom while she was up, and as she was coming out of the bathroom and back towards the bedroom, she almost ran smack dab into Jonathan.

She let out a scream and then gave him a rather irritated look.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I came here to talk to you. I am sorry, I didn't mean to scare you".

She calmed down, and climbed in bed.

He came and sat on his side of the bed.

She stared straight ahead, as they both listened to the silence.

Finally, she turned to him.

"You wanted to talk, so talk".

"Jennifer, if you want to go somewhere, go. I don't want to stand in your way".

"What are you talking about?"

"You have some very persuasive friends".

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that Susan, Marcy and Natalie came to my office and basically told me that they needed you to go on a trip and you said no because of me, and they wanted me to change your mind".

"So, you didn't come to talk to me because you love me, or you want to fix this, you came because they ganged up on you? interesting".

"That's not what I am saying. I would have come anyways, they just made it happen sooner".

"They shouldn't have done that."

"I am glad they did".

She was quiet.

"Jonathan, this has gone on long enough. What are we going to do?"

He stared at the bed.

"I don't know".

"Remember how I told you to figure it out, then talk to me? What exactly did you figure out?"

"That we need to figure this out together".

"Jonathan, why didn't you come to the appointment that you had Deanne call me about?"

"I lost track of time. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get there in time for us to have a full session, so I canceled it, because I didn't want to waste your time or the therapists".

They heard a clap of thunder and saw several lightning strikes.

Jennifer teared up.

"What's wrong?"

"I hate this. I hate missing you, and not knowing what to do to fix it. We used to love each other so much…we were so good together."

He put his arm around her.

"Jennifer, I am not saying that I want to give up on us".

"But you haven't said you want to work it out either".

"No, I said I didn't know what to do. I do want to work it out, I just don't know what to do".

"What about Bob Stanton?"

"We are barely going to be able to cover payroll this week, but we will cover it. We were able to pay some of the bills he has neglected. He took everyone's bonus, he took everyone's expense account money, so there won't be any new expense accounts this year. The board isn't happy, but they are supportive of my efforts to find him".

"What about you and I, do we need to downsize?"

"Possibly. I am hoping that we can hold off as long as possible".

They sat there a little longer.

"Well, I guess I better go".

"No, stay. It's late. You can sleep here".

"Jennifer, I don't think that's a good idea".

"I knew it. You aren't attracted to me any longer".

"I didn't say that. I love you, we just aren't in a great place at the moment, and I don't want to complicate things".

She started to cry again, and just nodded.

He stood up and she reached for his hand, and he took it. They were walking towards the top of the stairs, when they heard a crash downstairs, and the unmistakable sound of glass breaking.

He turned to her.

"Stay here".

He tiptoed back to the bedroom, and got his gun, and came back out. He started to tiptoe down the stairs, when suddenly, the lights flickered and the power went out.

"Go back to the bedroom and call the police".


	4. Chapter 4

Jennifer crept back to the bedroom and called the police. They promised to get there right away.

She opened the gate, and then crept back to the top of the stairs.

She stayed behind him as they crept down the stairs, and when they got to the bottom, he turned and motioned for her to go hide behind the bar.

She hid behind the bar, and it was absolutely killing her to not know where Jonathan was.

She heard a scuffle in the kitchen, and crept over to the back door to the kitchen, and peeked in.

Jonathan and the burglar were fighting.

Jonathan landed a few good punches, and then the burglar landed a few of his own. The burglar landed one final punch, and then ran out the back door.

She saw the lights on the police cars coming up the driveway, so she knew they would get him.

She ran to Jonathan.

"Jonathan! Are you alright?"

He stirred a little.

She helped him up, and helped him to a chair.

The police came in, and they had the burglar in handcuffs.

Everyone went to sit in the den, and Jonathan identified the man as the one that he had fought with in the kitchen.

The power came back on, which was extremely helpful. They led the burglar outside.

Jonathan was answering questions with the police, and Jennifer went to make him an ice pack.

She brought it to him, and he grimaced as he held it against his head.

"Here. Let me. Get up".

He got up, and she sat on the arm of the couch, and he slipped in between her legs, and rested his head on the leg in front of him. She held the ice pack to the back of his head.

About 30 minutes later, the police were about to leave.

The officer that had taken the burglar outside came back in.

"Mr. Hart, Mrs. Hart, we identified your burglar as 42-year old Tony Gliomelli. He said that a guy named Bob Stanton told him you guys were loaded and he decided to come check it out and see what he could find. Seems Mr. Stanton told him that you guys had lots of cash laying around, but Mr. Hart tackled him before he could get any".

"Jokes on him. His pal Stanton got it all, not that it was lying around here anyways".

Jennifer looked at the officer.

"Can you bring him in here? We have some questions we need to ask him".

"Certainly".

He headed to the door.

Jonathan turned back to look at her.

"Jennifer, that's not a good idea".

"Jonathan, he might be able to tell us where Stanton is".

The officer led Tony Gliomelli back in the house.

Jonathan looked at him.

"Do you know where Stanton is?"

"Not at the moment. Last time I saw him was at the airport 3 weeks ago. He was leaving as I was coming in."

"Do you have any idea how frightened you made my wife?"

"I apologize. I wasn't going to hurt anyone, I swear it. I was just looking for the cash".

"Do you have any idea where Stanton might have gone?"

"Possibly South America, or South Mexico. He has an affinity for places that are tropical".

"Thank you for your honesty. Officer, take him away".

Jennifer and Jonathan signed the officer's report, and then Jennifer saw them out, and locked the door behind them.

It was 12:45.

She came back and checked on Jonathan's head.

"Just a little longer with the ice".

He turned to look at her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine".

She went and got him more ice, and then came back to the couch.

She sat down on the couch, and leaned back against the arm. He sat in front of her and leaned back against her.

She held the ice pack with one hand, and started rubbing his chest with the other.

The phone rang. She reached behind her and answered it.

"Hello?"

She passed him the phone.

"It's for you".

Jonathan spoke for a few minutes, and then handed her the phone to hang up.

"That was Carter, the private investigator I hired to track Bob down. He said he got some hits about him being in Brazil, and is sending someone to check it out. He definitely found some bank accounts that he opened in the Bahamas with our money, so I am going to call the bank tomorrow and speak with them".

She pulled the ice pack off his head.

"I think you are ok now".

He sat up, and she took the ice pack to the sink. He followed behind her.

They surveyed the back door where the burglar had broken in. He grabbed some tape and covered the hole in the window with it, as she swept the glass up. She went over to the alarm panel and turned it on and made sure the gate was secure.

"I'm going up. Are you staying?"

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all".

They walked up together and she went back to bed. He changed into some pajamas and then joined her.

She turned to him.

"So, tell me again why you came over tonight?"

"Because your friends came to the office to convince me to convince you to go on the trip with them. And I stand by my original feelings. If you want to go, go. I don't want to stand in your way".

"Jonathan, we don't know how much money we are going to have in a few days. It just seems reckless to spend that money".

"Jennifer, it's fine. I promise".

"Just seems silly to me to go out of town when you and I aren't ok".

"We are fixable. We aren't going to completely fall apart because you take a trip".

"I think we should figure out what our problem actually is. We can't fix it till we know what we are fixing".

"That's why I made that appointment the other day".

"Jonathan, be honest. Really honest. Are you still in love with me? Still attracted to me?"

"Yes, without a doubt".

"Ok. So, at one point we chose to be together. We just have to figure out when we stopped".

"I didn't stop. I think other things just got in the way".

"I didn't stop either. So, now we have something to work with".

"Maybe I should have stepped back from the company and let someone else run it. Can't really do that right now, with the rebuild, but if I had, then at least me and you would be alright".

"How confident are you that you can rebuild?"

"100%. I mean, I built the company the first time, I can build it again".

"I emailed Marcia and told her that I would take any and every assignment, regardless of how much it paid".

"You don't have to do that, Jennifer. I appreciate the effort, but you earned the right to not have to work all the time".

"So did you".

She snuggled down against her pillow, and pulled the covers up around her.

He reached up and turned the light off, and they fell asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she snuggled up against him and he wrapped his arms around her.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up and looked at the clock. 7:42.

She realized that Jonathan was still with her.

She rolled over to face him.

"Jonathan…you're late. It's almost 8".

"You are more important".

"I would have understood if you had left on time".

"I know that. I don't want to leave till we fix things".

She stretched and got up and went and made some coffee. She made him bacon and eggs, and he joined her a few minutes later.

They had a quiet breakfast, with neither of them really knowing where to start, both of them waiting on the other to speak first.

She did the dishes when he was done, and then took her coffee to the couch. He came and joined her, and took her hand in his.

"Why don't we go back to the counselor again? I can call and see if they can work us in".

She nodded, pleased that he was making an effort.

She went upstairs and took a shower and got dressed, while he called and made the appointment.

He showered right after her. There was a pregnant silence in the room, that neither of them wanted to address.

She was downstairs in the study, paying bills when he came down.

"They can see us in an hour".

"I am ready whenever you are".

He drove them to the appointment, and he held her hand most of the way.

"How's your head feeling?"

"I'm ok today, thanks".

She gave him a half smile.

They pulled up to the counselor's office and parked.

"Well, here goes nothing".

***Counselor's office***

Jennifer and Jonathan walked in, and she filled out the paperwork to check them in.

They were called back almost immediately.

The counselor's office was decorated nicely, with a large green couch and two blue overstuffed chairs. There were a few lamps, a few knick-knacks, and a coffee table with a box of Kleenex on it.

"Have a seat please".

They both sat on the couch, and the counselor sat in one of the chairs.

"Hi, I am Sarabeth Rawlings. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist".

"I am Jonathan Hart, this is my wife Jennifer".

"How can I help you guys?"

He looked at Jennifer.

"You want to start?"

She nodded.

"We have been married for almost 18 years, and I would say that up until about 2 months ago, maybe less, maybe more, that we were happily married. But it seems like we are stuck in a cycle that we can't break, where we are drifting apart. We will make plans, he will call and say that he has to work late, we will reschedule, he will call and break those also. Then, I get hurt and resentful because the plans got broken, and so when he does try to spend time with me, I push him away. He gets upset because I pushed him away, so he throws himself into his work even more, and it starts all over again. We didn't used to be this way."

"What did things between you look like before you got into this cycle?"

Jonathan spoke up. "We couldn't get enough of each other, we could barely keep our hands off each other".

"We traveled, we intentionally set aside time together so that it was just the two of us. We intentionally did things the other liked, just because they liked it".

"Like what?"

"Like I would make his favorite dinner, or he would pick up dinner from my favorite restaurant, or I would wear his favorite nightgown, or when we are watching TV he would give me a massage and then I would give him one, things like that".

"So, what's it like now?"

"Now, I eat dinner alone, I go to bed alone, there are days when I don't see or speak to him again after he leaves for work till the next day. Used to I could go to his office and he would drop everything for me, at least for a few minutes anyways. He hasn't touched me romantically in days, maybe he doesn't see me that way anymore, I don't know. The last few times I have been there, he hasn't done that, and it's like we can't spend 5 minutes together without having an argument".

He looked at her. "I never stopped seeing you that way, Jennifer".

She squeezed his hand.

"Are both of you in agreement on the way things are now?"

They nodded.

"Are both of you in agreement on how things used to be?"

They nodded.

"Have you talked about where you want to go from here?"

"Yes, we have".

"And where is that?"

"I want us to be happy again, like we used to be".

"I want that too".

"Ok, great. That's a start. So, have you explored whether or not you two are both on the same page, as far as the dynamics are concerned?"

"She asked me some questions last night, about whether or not I was still in love with her and attracted to her, and I answered them honestly. So, as far as that goes, I would say we are".

"We say we are, but we still aren't physically doing anything together. So, maybe we are, maybe we aren't, I don't know. It's just that it used to be effortless between us, and now there is this distance, that didn't used to be there".

"First of all, I want you to realize that all couples go through this at some point. It's totally normal. How you handle it will determine if your marriage survives or doesn't. Normally I would tell a couple to spend a week or two apart, and then start from there, spending time together intentionally. However, you two already know that you want to spend time together, so we can skip the time apart step."

They nodded.

"So, you two need to set aside time, just the two of you. Take it slow, maybe something simple, like a dinner date, or just spending a few hours together. If you argue, then it ends, and you pick it up next time. No point in spending time together arguing."

"I agree with that".

"Could we take a trip away, just the two of us?"

"Certainly, but only if you are going to be intentional on bridging the distance between the two of you. A vacation where you gloss over everything wouldn't be particularly helpful at this point".

They nodded.

"So, I am going to give you a timeline, and I am going to give you a pamphlet of exercises that you can do to strengthen your relationship. If it works, you don't have to come back to see me, but if it doesn't, you need to come back, and we will figure out where it broke apart and how to repair it".

She wrote them out a quick timeline, and then handed it to them to look over.

"Three dinner dates, or lunch dates, depending on your schedule. Then, you progress to the trip, and then if the trip goes well, you follow the diagram in the back of the pamphlet to see when you are back on track".

"Thank you, Dr. We appreciate it".

"Are you two living apart?"

"Sort of".

"Explain, please".

"Well, I told him to stay at our beach house till he figured out what he wanted, but then he came over last night to talk about things and ended up spending the night. He is welcome to come home whenever he wants to".

"Great deal. I wish you both the best of luck, and hope that you will drop me an email in a month or so, and tell me how you are doing".

They nodded.

They got up to leave, and shook hands with the doctor.

Jonathan took care of the bill and they headed to the car.

***Willow Pond***

They came inside the house and set their stuff down. Jennifer went to the study, got her coffee cup, and took it to the sink.

Jonathan went upstairs and changed for the office.

He came back downstairs a few minutes later, and found her in the kitchen making lunch.

"I hate to leave like this, but I need to get to the office".

"It's alright".

"If it's ok with you, I would like to come back here tonight when I leave the office".

"It's alright with me".

She walked over and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

"See you tonight".

She walked him to the door, and he kissed her goodbye.

She locked the door behind him, and headed upstairs to change clothes into something comfy, and then went to the study and worked on some articles for the rest of the afternoon.

She went and made dinner for them around 4:30, and put it in the oven, and then made herself a drink.

She sat down on the couch, making a bet with herself as to whether or not he was going to be home for dinner like he said he would.


	5. Chapter 5

Jennifer was sitting on the couch when Jonathan got home at 5:30.

She was happy that he was home, and was trying not to show that she was surprised by it.

"Hi darling".

"Hi. I made dinner, it should be ready soon".

"Perfect".

He came and sat down on the couch next to her.

"Cocktail?"

"Please".

She got up and got him a cocktail and refilled hers.

"Any leads on the accountant?"

"Not any concrete ones. I should hear back tomorrow or the next day from the private investigator".

She brought him his drink, and sat back down on the couch.

"Did you start an article today?"

She nodded. "Spotlighting a doctor's office that only charges 5 dollars per visit, regardless of how involved it is."

"That sounds amazing, I am sure you will do a great job on it".

The oven timer went off, so she got up to go check on dinner.

He followed her.

"How can I help?"

"You can set the table".

"Certainly. Do you want to eat inside or outside?"

"Inside is fine".

He set the table and then got both of them some water.

She was pulling everything out of the oven, and the fridge.

"What are we having?"

"Poppyseed chicken, salad and roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes."

"Darling, you hate garlic mashed potatoes".

She was putting everything on the counter so they could serve themselves.

"Yes, but you love them. You get the whole pan to yourself".

He walked over and grabbed her face with his hands and gave her a long, slow, passionate kiss. It was so perfect it made Jennifer's head spin.

When they finally broke for air, they stared into each other's eyes.

"What was that for?"

"Just because".

"I miss that".

"Me too".

They ate dinner, and then went and laid in the hammock out on the patio for a bit.

"Jonathan, are you staying here tonight?"  
"If you are ok with it".

"Of course, I'm ok with it".

She rested her head on his chest while they laid in the hammock.

He was lightly scratching her back, and she was about to fall asleep.

After about an hour, they went inside. She was shivering, so he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her.

"Thank you".

He rubbed her arms a little bit, and then pulled her towards him.

"What do you want to do now?"

"This".

He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

He leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, and carried her upstairs to bed.

He set her down on the bed and she hopped up on her knees, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I am so glad you are staying".

"Me too".

She kissed him and then went to change into a nightgown. He changed into his pajamas, and came back to bed.

She climbed under the covers and snuggled up to him. He had drawn the curtains and made the room as dark as possible, like she liked it.

She laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"So, as far as first dates go, how would you say that one was?"

"It's over?"

"It doesn't have to be".

"I would say it's been pretty great. We managed to get along and even enjoy each other's company".

"That's better than we can say about the last two months".

"Jennifer, I am sorry I let other things get in between us. You are the most important thing in my life and I should have maintained that".

"I'm sorry too, I should have talked to you about it and been more understanding".

He rolled on top of her and started kissing her neck, and then started moving lower, towards her chest. He pulled her nightgown down a little, and kissed her nipples, as she arched her back, and they started to undress each other.

He kissed her passionately as she used her feet to push his pajama bottoms down.

Just when things were getting back on track, the phone rang.

They let it ring a couple times, and then looked at each other.

"This better be good".

He reached over and answered the phone and she scratched his back a little while he was talking.

"Hello? Hi Stanley, what's going on?"

She planted a few kisses on his chest while she scratched his back.

"Ok, I'm on my way".

He hung up the phone and turned on the lamp.

"Babe, I'm sorry. There's an emergency with our accounts, and Stanley thinks it might be Bob trying to get access from wherever he is. I have to go check it out".

"Ok".

He could tell she wasn't pleased.

He got up and got dressed quickly, and she followed him to the door.

"I'm sorry Jennifer. I will be back as soon as I can".

She nodded.

He kissed her and she locked the door behind him and went back to bed.

***Hart Industries***

About 5 hours later, they had determined that the issues with the system were from a shortage in the hardware, and not anyone trying to access it remotely.

"I want to change all the passwords just to be sure. I think we might need to go to a verification setup, where you have to get a code to log in, and you only have two minutes to put it in the system. Only people in the company will have access to this".

"I agree with that. I think we need to call a meeting with everyone and tell them what is going on".

"That would be a good idea".

"Thanks for your help, Stanley. I appreciate it".

"Sure thing, Mr. Hart".

Jonathan headed home to Jennifer, and hoped like hell she would be happy to see him.

***Willow Pond***

Jonathan came inside and locked the door behind him, and then went straight upstairs.

Jennifer was in bed, asleep, when he got upstairs.

He changed into his pajamas and slipped into bed beside her, and put his arms around her, and fell asleep with her.

***The next morning***

There was a storm rolling in off the coast in the wee hours. Jennifer woke up from the thunder around 4:30. She snuggled tighter against Jonathan, and decided not to wake him, and tried to go back to sleep.

He felt her snuggle against him, and thought she was waking him up.

"Not tonight, babe. I love you". He took his arms off her and rolled over, with his back towards her.

She blinked back tears as she tried to fall asleep.

They slept till 7, and she got right up when his alarm went off and showered and dressed and went downstairs before he was awake.

She made coffee and then took her breakfast to the patio.

He came out there about 20 minutes later.

"I'm going to the office now. Do you want to have lunch today?"

"No thank you".

She took her plate to the sink and started doing the dishes. He followed her inside.

He came up behind her and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, I'll see you tonight".

"Bye darling".

She turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then turned back to the dishes.

He left, and as soon as she heard the door close, she started crying. Hard sobs, wracking her body with no mercy.

He got to the car, and realized he forgot his briefcase so he came back in the house to get it.

He heard her crying, and felt horrible that he had made her cry. He was torn between going to her and getting her to talk about it with him, or going to the office and bringing it up later.

He quietly crept back to the foyer. He remembered that he had an important meeting in an hour, so he decided to do the next best thing.

He left for work, and made a very important phone call on the way.

***A few hours later***

Jennifer had calmed down some and was working on an article.

The phone rang and she grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Hi darling".

"Hi."

"How is your day going?'"

"Ok, I guess".

"Listen, I had an idea. Meet me for dinner? I will make all the arrangements".

"Jonathan, I am not sure that's a good idea".

"Jennifer, I know I upset you this morning, but I don't know how. And I'm really trying here, can't you meet me halfway?"

"You don't know how you upset me? You really don't know?"

"No, I don't. But I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to you".

"Even if it takes a lot?"

"No matter what".

"What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise, Jennifer. You used to trust me, can't you trust me again?"

"Ok. Where should I meet you?"

"I will send a car service for you. Can you be ready by 4:30?"

"A car service? Jonathan, we cannot afford that".

"Jennifer, please. Just let me do this, ok?"

"Ok. 4:30".

"I love you".

"I love you too".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone.

She got back to work, and about an hour later, the gate buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Jennifer, it's me. Can I come up?"

"Sure, Marcy."

She got up and opened the door and let Marcy in.

"What are you doing here?"  
"Jonathan called me. He wants you to bring some things with you tonight, but he doesn't want you to figure out the surprise, so he asked me to come pack the bag for you. He wanted me to give you this note and these flowers, and tell you to call him if you have any questions".

"Ok. I will stay down here while you pack. My overnight bag is in my closet. If you need something bigger, there is a bigger bag in the closet next to the shower, on the bottom".

"Got it".

Jennifer sat down on the couch and read his note.

"Jennifer- I love you so much, I can't breathe sometimes. I don't know how we got to this point, but I am determined to get us back on track, because if I don't have you in my life, I have no life. I hope you realize that I would do anything for you, no matter what, just to see you smile again. I cannot wait to see you tonight. Love, Jonathan".

She put the flowers in water and was sitting on the couch when Marcy came downstairs.

"Ok, so, your bag is packed. It's on the bed, all you need to add to it is your hygiene stuff that you use every day. I didn't pack those items in case you needed to use them before you left. He told me to pick out an evening gown for you to wear, so I left you three on your bed to choose from. Promise me you won't peek in the bag till he tells you to?"

"I promise".

Marcy sat down next to her.

"So, are things getting better with ya'll?"

"I guess, I don't know. You guys went to him to convince him to convince me to go to Hawaii, so he came over and scared the shit out of me, and then we started talking, and it was late, so I told him he could spend the night if he wanted to. Before he could decide, someone broke in, and he tackled him and then we had to deal with the police and giving statements. So, he ended up staying. And it was so wonderful to have him back in the bed with me, even though we didn't do anything. So, I wake up yesterday, and he is still here, way past the time he was supposed to go to work. He said he wanted to try the counselor again, so I agreed. She gave us some really helpful advice. We are supposed to have some dinner dates, and then we are supposed to take a trip together, and then go back and see if her if we can't resolve this."

"That sounds like a great plan".

"Yes, it does. So, we had a dinner date last night, and it was really nice. We were comfortable with each other, and we were able to really talk and he even kissed me, like he used to. Then, things started getting heated up, and the office called with an emergency. I was understanding and told him it was ok, and he left to deal with that. I was asleep when he got home, and he got in bed with me. So, early this morning, I woke up when it was thundering, and moved closer to him. I wasn't trying to wake him up or start anything, I just moved closer to him. He got all offended, and took his arm away and was all "Not tonight, honey. I love you", and rolled away from me. It was so hurtful. I mean if he's going to reject me when I didn't make an advance, how will he act when I do, if I ever get the nerve up to make another one?"

"Oh Jennifer, that sounds like a huge misunderstanding. I think you should talk to him, and explain things to him".

"I am sure I will, as soon as I get the nerve up".

"Jennifer-trust me. He is really trying here. I know what he has planned. I would be over the moon if Jake Ryland did that for me. Jonathan is really raising the bar for guys everywhere with what he has planned for the two of you, and the amount of thought that he has put into it. Just trust him, and let him show you how much he loves you".

She nodded.

"He asked me to have lunch with him today, and I said no. He was trying and I pushed him away. I feel so horrible".

"Don't. I have it on great authority that because you said no, he planned this instead. Just trust me, you will enjoy yourself tonight".

She leaned forward and hugged her.

"You are the best friend anyone could ask for, I am so thankful for you".

She saw Marcy out and went and took a bubble bath. She had 3 hours to get ready.

She climbed out of the bath and put her robe on. She called him at the office.

"Hello?"  
"Hi. I was just calling to see if you wanted me to bring you anything for tonight?"

"Like what?"

"Well, you said it was formal, so you probably need your tux, right?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot it was at the house. Yeah, you can bring it. I will have the car service bring you here, and I can change here".

"Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. Out of everything in the world, the only thing I ever need is you".

"That's sweet. Ok, see you in a little bit, I love you".

"I love you too".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone, and went to get ready.

Marcy had put three gowns on the bed- a red, long strapless sequined gown, a light greyish-purple gown with rhinestones embellishing it, and a bright blue strapless gown with a thigh high slit that always looked amazing on her. She picked the blue, and slipped it on, and then did her hair and makeup. She packed his tuxedo in a garment bag for him, and grabbed him a few bow ties so that he could pick which one he wanted. She brought everything downstairs, and waited for the car service to come pick her up.

Right on cue, it arrived at 4:30.

She locked the house, set the alarm, and got in the car.

***Hart Industries***

She was dropped off out front at Hart Industries. She took her bag to his car and put it inside. She took the garment bag with her to his office.

She opened his door and walked inside and locked the door.

He came over to her right away.

"Hi gorgeous". He kissed her long and slow.

"Hi yourself". She kissed him again.

"Thank you for the flowers, and the note and whatever you have planned for tonight".

He drew the shades and then changed into his tux.

"I put you three different bow ties in there so that you could pick which one you liked".

"Thanks, babe".

He was all dressed a few minutes later, and she packed up his suit and put it in the garment bag.

"Babe, did you bring a bag with you?"

"Yes, I put it in your car".

"Great".

She walked over to him and straightened his bow tie, and he kissed her.

"Thank you. Shall we?"

"We shall".

He led her to the elevator, and they went down to the parking garage. He opened the car door for her and then put his garment bag in the back.

"Before we go, we have to preserve the element of surprise. So, can I slip this blindfold on you?"

"Sure".

He tied it around her head, and then they took off.

"Darling, where are we going?"


	6. Chapter 6

"In due time, darling. I promise".

She was patient, and sat back and listened to the music on the radio. About 15 minutes later, they arrived.

"Ok, babe. I am going to come help you out of the car. Just wait for me".

He came around and opened the car door, and helped her out.

"Now, stand right here. One second".

He grabbed her bag and threw it over his shoulder, and then leaned down and scooped her up and started carrying her towards their final destination.

They walked for about 5 minutes, and then he set her down.

"Ok, hang on. I will be right back".

He took her bag and set it down, and then came back for her.

He picked her up again and carried her to where they were going to be first.

He set her down, and kissed her.

"I love you, and I am going to take the blindfold off".

He slipped the blindfold off, and she saw that they were on a boat. He had strung up lights and had fresh flowers, and soft music playing.

"Darling, what is all this?"

"We are going to sail out a couple hours from here, and have a candlelight dinner, and spend the night down below before sailing back tomorrow".

"Are you serious? Oh Jonathan, I love this". She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him several times.

She helped him get the boat ready to take off, and then stood with him as he sailed them out of the harbor and into the bay.

"Are we cooking dinner, darling?"

"Nope. I had it catered. We just have to heat it up".

They sailed for about 3 hours, and then he anchored them, and poured them both some wine.

He came and sat next to her.

"Darling, I need to tell you this, but I hope it doesn't ruin our evening."

"What?"

"I want to apologize for upsetting you this morning. I wanted to stay with you, and I would have, but I had a meeting. I never dreamed that me going to the office would upset you like that".

"Upset me like what?"

"I came back in the house to get my briefcase and saw you crying in the kitchen. I would have stayed to work it out with you, but I had a meeting to get to, and it was really important. That's why I sent Marcy to the house".

"Jonathan, I appreciate that. But I wasn't upset because you had to leave for work".

"Then please, do me a favor and tell me what it was? I have been racking my brain all day trying to figure this out".

"It's because I felt like you don't desire me anymore".

"Whatever in the world would make you think that?"

"You don't remember?"

"No, I really don't".

"Ok, so last night, we were in bed, things were getting hot and heavy and then you left."

"Jennifer, you said you understood about that".

"I do. I went to bed after you left. At some point you came home and got back in bed, and then early this morning, there was a clap of thunder".

"I didn't hear that at all."

"I moved closer to you, and you already had your arms around me. But when I moved closer to you, you said "Not tonight, honey" and rolled over, away from me. I wasn't trying to start anything, I was just moving closer to you. So, it made me realize that I wasn't trying anything and you rejected me, what will happen if I were to start something? And if we aren't attracted to each other anymore, then we have no business being together".

He set his wine glass down, and then took hers and set it down.

He pulled her in his arms for a long hug.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. I am more than attracted to you, I swear it. I was dreaming probably. You know if you want to start something, all you have to do is ask".

"I thought that was the case, but with you and I drifting-"

"Jennifer, I love you. I am trying to get us to drift back together, not further apart. If I had been awake and you had seriously been asking, I wouldn't have turned you down, I promise".

She nodded.

"I'm sorry for being so silly".

"You aren't being silly. You were hurt, and that's ok".

He leaned forward and kissed her, and she nibbled on his lower lip.

After they came up for air, he stood up and took her hand, and led her downstairs.

"Shall we get dinner started?"

"We shall".

They heated up what he had ordered for them, which was steak and baked potatoes. She tossed them a salad, and then he went to prepare the table upstairs. He turned on the string lights, and lit some candles.

They had a very romantic candlelight dinner, and after they were done, he turned the music up and they danced for about an hour.

"This is so nice… it feels great out here".

"I agree. Just you and me, no distractions, no interruptions".

They kept on dancing, and then Jennifer looked at him.

"Where are we spending the night?"

"Right here, on the boat".

"I love that!"

"I have another surprise, too".

"Oh you do? What is it? I love surprises".

'Well, you know how this boat has always been named JHI, for Jonathan Hart Industries?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I am changing it. It will now be known as the Jennifer Suzanne".

"You're naming it after me? I'm so touched… this boat is your baby".

"Was. It was my baby. Then I met you, and now it's second in line".

She grabbed his face and kissed him tenderly.

"I love you so much".

The wind picked up, and they started to feel sprinkles, so they quickly dropped the other anchor, and batted everything down, and went below deck.

She kicked her shoes off when they got to their bedroom, and started taking her jewelry off.

He had a waterproof box that he was throwing their important things in just in case. She put her jewelry in her jewelry pouch, and took off her watch and wedding rings and put them in there as well, before placing all of it in the waterproof box.

He pulled up the radar that showed the weather.

"Storm will probably pass in a few hours. Doesn't look too serious. No other boats around, so we should be ok".

"Darling, you didn't bring any luggage".

He turned and wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close. "I had Marcy pack me some things in the bottom of your bag".

"Oh, I see. You really planned this all out".

"Well, truth be told, I didn't know if you would agree to even have dinner with me, so I had to make it memorable".

"Mission accomplished".

She leaned forward and kissed him a few times.

She turned her back to him and said "Darling, would you mind?"

He unzipped her dress and held her arm as she slipped out of it.

She grabbed her bag and started to unpack it, mainly to see what Marcy had packed.

"I have no idea what is even in here".

She got to his pajamas and handed them to him. She found some cute lingerie and a nightgown.

She held up both.

"You pick".

He picked the lingerie so she put that on, and then repacked her bag.

"Ok babe, I am going to prepare the room, so you gotta put the blindfold back on, or you can go hang out in the bathroom till it's ready".

She picked the bathroom. She quickly kissed him and then headed in there and shut the door.

A few minutes later he yelled for her to come out.

The room was dark, and he had lit a few candles, and spread some rose petals on the bed in a heart shaped pattern.

He had cracked the two windows, so that they could get a breeze and hear the rain, and he had placed a fan at the foot of the bed, just like she liked.

"Honey, it's absolutely beautiful".

She hugged him for a long time.

She had on a pink halter lace baby doll short nightgown, that he had given her for Christmas.

"You look amazing. You are so beautiful".

"Thank you".

She kissed him, and he led her to the bed.

They climbed on the bed and he pulled her to him, and then laid her down on her back. He was kissing her neck and holding her tight, and then he slipped the neck of her gown over her head.

"Turn over".

She turned over and he reached behind him and got the tingly stuff that he had Marcy pack in the bag, and started to give her a deep tissue back rub.

"Oh, that feels amazing".

She relaxed while he rubbed all her tense spots. She was in absolute heaven.

He rubbed her back for at least an hour, and as the storm picked up, so did they.

He flipped her back on to her back, and took her in his arms, as he kissed her jawbone and trailed some kisses down to each of her boobs.

She lifted her legs in the air and he reached up and grabbed her foot while he was kissing her nipple, and then proceeded to focus only on her feet.

He was massaging her feet and sucking her toes, and driving her crazy. She was clutching the sheets to keep from going over the edge. He kissed his way down her leg to her stomach, and then laid on top of her again.

She ran her fingers through his hair, and gave him a few kisses, and then used her feet to push his pajama bottoms off him. He quickly thrust into her as she arched her back in pleasure, and they both moaned at the same time.

"I want you, Red".

"I want you too, Jonathan Charles".

She gave into her passion first, and let the ecstasy hit her like a tidal wave, with such force that she screamed his name a few times. He kept going and went over the edge with her the second time, and this time, they were both screaming and grunting. They laid there, wrapped up together, trying to come down from the high.

"That was amazing".

"You are amazing, darling".

She kissed him and played with his chest hair.

The storm had really picked up, and the boat was really rocking. It was very soothing, and pretty soon they were asleep.

A few hours later, she woke up with a headache, so she got up and went to the bathroom and grabbed her purse to get some medicine.

He woke up and realized that she wasn't in the bed.

"Babe, you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just getting some Aleve".

"Let me help".

He got up and got her a compress, and a bottle of water.

They got back in bed and he held the compress to her neck, and they drifted back to sleep.

Just before she fell asleep, she turned to him and whispered "I am so glad we did this. Thank you".

She kissed his cheek and then rolled back over.

***The next morning***

Jennifer woke up first. Jonathan was still right there next to her, sleeping. She crept out of the bed, and went to the kitchen. She saw that he had a fresh fruit plate and orange juice for them for breakfast.

He had also stocked the fridge with her favorite things, like coconut milk, coconut oil, pure vanilla, sliced almonds, her favorite cereal, and the brand of sparkling water that she liked.

She drank some orange juice, and then got back in bed with him, and snuggled up to him again.

They slept till about 10, when he woke her up.

"Morning darling".

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Oh yes. That was quite a workout you gave me last night".

"It was pretty good for me too".

She rolled over and kissed him, and then pulled him close to her.

She climbed on top of him, and rolled him to his stomach.

She gave him a deep tissue back rub with the tingly stuff, and really rubbed out his muscle knots.

"You have the best massage hands".

She used her elbows and really got his kinks out.

"Darling, what time do we have to go back?"

"Well, today is Friday. And I took the whole day off. And we own this boat. So, we can stay out here as long as we want and we can even stay another night if you want to".

"Do we have enough supplies for that?"

"If we don't we can boat in and get some and then come back out".

"Well, you planned all of this, so I want to do whatever you want to do".

"Well, then I say we stay another night".

"Perfect".

After his massage was over, she rubbed lotion all over his back and rubbed it in really well. She climbed off him and laid next to him, and they climbed back under the covers and cuddled up together. A couple hours later, they got up. She made them coffee, and mixed some of her secret formula that Jonathan loved in his coffee.

She looked in the bag that Marcy had packed and found a bathing suit, and put it on. It wasn't one of her favorites, but she knew he liked it, and she really didn't have anything else to wear unless she wanted to put on yoga pants and a tank top, so she put it on.

She took him his coffee, and a plate of fruit for the both of them.

He was checking everything on the engine, before they started the boat up.

"Can I help?"

"I don't think so. I think we are ok".

She laid out on the front deck, and soaked up some rays, and almost fell asleep.

Jonathan yelled to her when they were almost to the marina, and she went below and threw on some yoga pants and a tank top, and her flip flops.

She helped him dock the boat, and tie it up, and they headed for the car.

As soon as they got in the car, his car phone started ringing. He grabbed it.

"Hello?"

He listened for a few minutes, and then said "Ok, we will meet you at the house in 20 minutes".

He turned the car around and headed towards Willow Pond.

"Darling, why are we going home?"

"That was Lt. Grey. They found Bob Stanton".


	7. Chapter 7

***Willow Pond***

Jennifer and Jonathan came inside the house, and waited for the police to come meet them.

"I'm going to run change clothes real fast, darling. I'll be right back".

She zipped up the stairs and changed into some leggings and a tunic, and quickly packed them another overnight bag.

She came back downstairs and set the bag by the door.

Jonathan yelled to her from the kitchen that Lt. Grey was at the gate.

She unlocked the door and after Jonathan let him in, they joined her on the couch.

Jonathan leaned back against Jennifer, as Lt. Grey informed them about how they had found Bob Stanton.

"He was quite foolish. He told everyone that he was a millionaire, and some undesirables tried to mug him. So, he filed a police report in Belize and gave them his American driver's license. They ran it, came upon our warrant, and took him into custody. He should be back in the states within a week. We will notify you what the next steps are going to be".

"That's wonderful news!"

"Thanks, Lt. We appreciate it".

They saw him out, and then left themselves. After hitting up the grocery store, they decided to spend another 2 nights on the boat.

***Jennifer Suzanne***

It was mid-afternoon when they got back to the boat. Jennifer went below with all the groceries and their overnight bag and put everything away. She put her swimsuit back on, and went to help Jonathan get the boat ready to take off again.

After they had shoved off and were on their way, she went and stood next to him and rubbed his shoulders some.

"How far out do you want to go?"

"About 3 hours or so. Far out enough that we won't be disturbed."

"Good plan".

She scratched his back some while he steered the boat, and finally they got to a place where Jonathan wanted to anchor.

They dropped all the anchors, and when they were confident the boat wasn't moving, they went down below.

They prepared dinner, and she helped him grill it. Chicken and veggie kebabs, and salad, and she made him some garlic mashed potatoes.

He poured them some wine, and they sipped it while he was grilling. She stood there with her head on his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his.

"You know just one week ago, I figured we would be splitting up our assets by now".

"Me too, and thanks to Bob Stanton, I didn't think there would be much to split".

"You think we can recover most of the money?"

"I would say at least ½, if not more. But to be quite honest, it's not really about the money for me anymore. He lied to me, he stole from me, he stole from us, and he's someone I trusted. Because of him, it's hard for me to trust other people now, that I haven't known very long, and I find myself checking up on people that I have known just as long or longer than him, and I hate that. I don't want to be like that".

"Well, nobody would blame you for being like that. You're human, it's an honest reaction. He stole from you, and from us".

"You know what gets me the maddest out of all of it? The fact that you were affected. If you hadn't been able to pay for your gas, you could have been hurt, kidnapped, who knows what. I mean, that punk broke into the house, and what if I hadn't been there? If you want to steal from me, steal from me, but leave my wife out of it".

"You are so cute when you are protecting me".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"I was fine then, and if it happened again, I will be fine then as well. I was mad, but if I hadn't come to yell at you, we wouldn't have known it".

"Truth be told I was glad you came and yelled at me."

"You were glad?"

"Yes. It was the most interaction we had had together in days. It wasn't my favorite type of interaction, but I will take any excuse I can to spend some time with you, especially when it's my fault that we have been so distant".

"I'm not blameless either. I shouldn't have pushed you away when you tried to reach out to me. I always say I am going to be more understanding, I just can't ever seem to actually be more understanding".

"You are far more understanding than I deserve, Jennifer. I hit the jackpot when I met you, and again when you agreed to marry me, and I would be a fool to let you go".

He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close for a long, passionate kiss.

When they came up for air, he held her close for a few minutes.

"I think our dinner is almost ready".

"I will go down below and finish the rest of it. Do you want to eat out here or in the cabin?"

"Out here would be nice. There's a nice breeze and we can turn the lights on again".

"Perfect. I will be right back up".

She gave him a lingering kiss and then disappeared below deck.

She emerged a few minutes later, wearing a strapless sundress, and carrying their plates, silverware, the mashed potatoes for him, the salad for both of them, 2 water glasses, and 2 cloth napkins, plus salt, pepper, and the grated parmesan she knew he liked for his potatoes.

"Darling, how did you carry all of that? You should have yelled for me, I would have come to help you".

"No need, darling. I waited tables my freshman year of college, I still remember some of those skills".

She set it all down, and they deconstructed the pile, and in about 2 minutes, the table was set.

They had a very romantic dinner, where they took turns feeding each other bites, and then they took the dishes down below and washed them together.

After the dishes were done, he grabbed her hand and led her upstairs to the deck.

"What are we doing?"

"I want to show you something".

He opened one of the compartments that they used for storage, and pulled out a telescope and a tripod. He quickly set it up, and then told her to look in it and tell him what she saw.

"A few stars, some faint white specs, and a lot of blackness".

"Did you ever take astronomy?"

"No. Did you?"

"Yes, for two semesters. And then I manufactured a magnifying lens for the telescope that I sold to NASA. I believe that was about 4 years after I founded the company, so about 10 years before I met you".

"I see".

"So, what I wanted to show you, is the cycle".

"The cycle?" She was trying very hard to understand.

"Yes. Remember when you and I were at the counselor's office and you told her that we couldn't break the cycle of us breaking plans and pushing each other away?"

"Yes".

"Ok, so that cycle is the one that we were on. This cycle, the one that I want to show you, is the one that we are on now".

"I'm confused".

"Let me break it down for you".

"Please".

"Ok, so in space, you have stars that are born, and then they live, and they shine bright, and then they die out, and new ones are born, and the cycles continue".

"Ok, that makes sense".

"This cycle takes about 10 billion years".

"That long? That's so interesting".

"So, what I am telling you, is that you and I are on this cycle. The black stuff is the old us-the ones who push each other away and don't make an effort to spend time together, and resent each other for things. That part of us is dying out. And the white stuff is the new part of us, this part right here, the part that is committed to putting each other first again, like we used to, and not letting anything get in between us, and agreeing that we aren't going to stop communicating with each other when we are upset".

"I love this new cycle. I hope we can stay on it forever". She leaned up and kissed him a few times.

"I love you Jonathan Charles, and I am so happy that you didn't give up on me".

"Me give up on you? Why would I ever give up on you?"

"Most husbands wouldn't have stood for their wives coming to their work and yelling at them, and saying all those awful things to them. You took it from me and still wanted to be around me, which is highly commendable".

"What can I say, I love you so much I will take any time spent with you, even if it's negative".

She teared up.

"I don't deserve you, darling. You are so good to me".

"We are good to each other. I couldn't do half of what I do without you next to me, and I wouldn't want to do any of it. No matter what crazy idea I come up with, you are right there by my side, willing to try it with me. You put up with more than your fair share of disappointments from me because of my crazy schedule, and 99% of the time, you take it in stride. And my favorite part is, you don't just love me, you love me with your whole heart. You make my heart skip a beat when you come in a room, and I go to bed every night knowing what a lucky man I am to have you. I hope I always have you, darling".

She kissed him, and softly caressed his cheek as he held her close.

He took the telescope down, and put it away, and turned off the lights. He secured the boat, and took the key with them downstairs, and locked the door to their cabin just to be safe.

"Darling, can you look at the radar and see if we are going to have a storm tonight?"

"Sure." He walked over to the shelf and got out the portable scanner, and looked it up.

"Looks like we will have showers, but nothing severe".

"I packed us a new overnight bag, and put you some fresh pajamas and your shaving kit in there. It's in the closet".

"You're the best, babe".

He kissed her, as she took her nightgown into the bathroom.

"Be right back".

He grabbed the overnight bag, and started looking for his pajamas.

"Babe, what pocket did you put them in? I don't see them in here".

"Keep looking".

"I'm looking, but they are not here, I am telling you".

By the time she came out of the bathroom, he had emptied every pocket of the overnight bag and still hadn't found his pajamas.

"Babe, they aren't in here. I have emptied all the pockets".

"Well then sailor, I guess you will have to just do without".

He turned to look at her, and saw that she had on a purple and black sheer lace spaghetti strap halter teddy, that left very little to the imagination.

He came to her and kissed her neck.

"You are so devious".

"Ain't I just?"

She kissed him, as he picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He carried her to the bed, and laid her down across it. She reached up and pulled his shirt off his head, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You are so gorgeous".

He started kissing her neck and her jawbone, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

He reached into her teddy and pulled her breast out, and sucked on it and kissed it, eliciting a moan from her, that made his toes curl.

She shuddered in delight and gripped his shoulders.

He slipped the halter neckline from her neck, and gingerly helped her out of the teddy.

She reached down and undid his shorts, and he quickly stepped out of them,

He reached over and got the pillows all stacked and then scooted her over to them.

"Comfy?"

"Very".

"Perfect. I want you to be extra comfortable so that you can enjoy this".

"Enjoy it? The thing we never do, or the thing that we hardly ever do?"

"You'll see".

He laid on top of her again, and focused his attention on her breasts, and squeezed them, sucked on them, nibbled on them, until she was shivering and digging her nails into his shoulders. He moved his kisses lower, and started kissing her inside thigh. He could feel her excitement begin to build.

He kissed his way closer and closer, and then finally flung her legs over his shoulders and used his tongue to part the folds of her innermost heat. She was writhing against his tongue and holding his head firmly in place. He licked and sucked and nibbled and kissed till she finally let go and let her orgasm wash over her whole body.

"Jonathan!"

He lightly kissed his way back up to her lips, and sucked on them and nibbled for a few minutes.

She was scratching his back, as he sucked on her left breast.

She leaned down and started rubbing his manhood, and then pushed him off her and straddled him herself.

"Your turn, darling".

She scooted down, and took him in her mouth, lightly stroking as she sucked and licked.

"Oh, Red, that's amazing".

She sucked and licked and squeezed him till he was moaning in delight, and then just before he was going to release, he pulled out, and tossed her onto her back, and thrust into her. She tightened around him as he fondled her breasts, and they rocked their hips together in synchronous motion.

"Come on, honey".

"Ok, baby".

He thrust into her again, and they both went over the edge together.

He laid down on top of her and wrapped his arms around her.

He kissed her cheek.

"I love you, you are so amazing".

"I love you too".

They straightened out the sheets and the blanket, and fell asleep together.

***During the night***

A big storm rolled in, and even though the boat was anchored, it started pitching and rolling. Jennifer woke up, curled up with Jonathan, and sat up. She was feeling nauseous. She decided to try some water, and was easing off the bed, when the boat rolled again, and she tumbled onto the floor.

"Ohhhh". Jonathan woke up and realized what was happening.

"Babe, you alright?"

He went to her and helped her up.

"I think I'm going to be sick".

He helped her to the bathroom, and she sat on the floor, bracing herself against the tub and hung her head over the toilet.

He threw on some clothes and went up top to see if the anchors were still set, and came back down, soaked to the bone.

She was still in the bathroom, and was getting up as he came in.

"Feel better?"

"Kind of. I don't think I am actually going to be sick, it's just the motion".

"I'll get you a patch".

"Darling, you are soaking wet".

"I went to make sure we were still anchored down."

He helped her up and she leaned against him, while he put the patch behind her ear.

He took his wet clothes off and hung them up in the shower.

He helped her back to bed, and she figured out that she would do better if they switched sides.

He readily agreed, and held her till she fell asleep, smoothing the hair off her face and kissing her forehead.

He fell asleep with her right after she did, and they slept together till well after 8. By then, all was calm.

Jennifer woke up first, and looked around the room.

She was astonished at what she saw.

"Jonathan! Jonathan!"

He began to stir.

"What is it, honey?"

"What the hell happened in here last night?"


	8. Chapter 8

They looked around the room. Everything was all over the place. If it was supposed to be in a drawer, it was on the floor. If it was supposed to be in a cabinet, it wasn't any longer. Pretty much everything was across the room from where it was supposed to be. In short, the room was an absolute disaster.

"I guess we had another bad storm after we fell asleep, darling".

"I guess so".

He rolled over towards her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. I am not nauseous, I don't think".

"That's good. Feel like eating anything?"

"Not just yet."

She felt around and found her water bottle in the bed and took a sip.

He got up and started cleaning up the room, while she sat up and tried to get her bearings.

"Babe, we can venture farther out today, if you'd like".

"Up to you, I am good with whatever".

She got up and helped him straighten up some, and they checked out the rest of the cabin. The kitchen looked ok, and the bathroom and closet looked ok as well.

She took a quick shower, and then put her swimsuit on and a cover up.

She made them breakfast while he was taking a shower, and came upstairs on deck to find her drying off the seats with a towel.

They ate breakfast on deck, and then laid out on the sun deck. Jonathan finally decided to keep the boat where they were, in the interest of saving gas.

They were laying on the sundeck, when she brought it up.

"Darling, we need to have a serious conversation".

"About what?"

"What is our final decision about downsizing? Are we selling the boutique, or the cars, or the art pieces?"

"Well, we were going to sell the boutique. And I had planned on selling the Bentley and maybe one of the hotels that we own. But, then the police said that they found Bob Stanton, so now I am thinking we should wait and see how much money we recover from him, and then decide".

"I like that idea".

He was quiet for a moment. "I was really scared".

"You were scared? Scared about what, darling?"

"Not being able to provide for you, not being able to give you whatever you wanted, not being able to spoil you like you deserve".

"Jonathan, do you honestly think I would have been upset about that?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't blame you if you were".

"Darling, he stole our money. If we were bankrupt, I wouldn't be mad at you that we couldn't afford something, I would be mad at him. Not being able to do something is totally different from choosing not to do it".

"That's an excellent point".

"Darling, do you remember the day that I came to your office and yelled at you about the credit cards?"

"How could I forget?"

She gave him a pointed look.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You are the most adorable when you are angry".

"Remember how Stanley came in and I snapped at him and you said you had asked him to investigate something?"

"Yes, I remember that".

"How did that come about?"

"We had a meeting that morning, and we always order breakfast for everyone, and when he went to use the company credit card, it was declined. So, I paid cash for it, and then had him investigate as to why it wouldn't work".

"I see."

He could tell that she was really thinking things out.

"What is it, babe?"

"I bet if you called the credit card company, and asked for an itemized statement, then you would see that he was probably using one credit card to buy things for his house, or himself, and another to pay it off so that you wouldn't know. And he might have even laundered money from Hart Industries into another company, and then into his bank account".

"When I am back in the office, I will pull all the statements and give them a good, hard look-over. You might be right, darling".

She kissed him, and then got up and went and got a fishing pole, and the tackle box.

"Want to fish with me?"

"Sure".

She grabbed him a fishing pole.

"Here you go, darling".

They baited their hooks, and then casted, and stuck the fishing pole in the holders attached to the boat. He pulled her onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Care to make a wager, darling?"

"I'm interested, what did you have in mind?"

"We each catch a fish, and the one who catches the biggest fish wins. The loser has to gut, clean, and fillet both fishes, and prepare them for lunch".

"It's a deal".

She leaned forward and kissed him, and then rested her head on his shoulder.

About 30 minutes later, they both had caught something, and they jumped up to reel them in.

Jennifer had caught a beautiful swordfish. Jonathan had caught a nice-sized amberjack.

"So, who's the winner?"

Jonathan went and got the scale, and weighed both of their fish.

"My fish weighs in at 20 pounds. Your fish weighs in at 38 pounds. However, yours isn't long enough to keep, so we have to throw it back".

"Aww, that's a shame".

He unhooked her fish and they tossed it back into the water.

He was measuring his fish, and determined they could keep it.

She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You win, darling". She leaned up to kiss him.

"It was a draw, darling. I won by measurement, you won by weight".

"Well good, I will clean it and you can gut it and fillet it."

"Anything for you".

"We should catch some more".

They set up the poles again, and settled back on the chair, and she sat on his lap. She was playing with his chest hair, and lightly scratching his chest.

"Babe, I might have a surprise for you later. I haven't decided yet, though".

"Jonathan! That's not fair. You know I love surprises!"

"What's not fair about it? I didn't tell you I had a surprise, I said I might".

"What if I said I might have one for you, how would you feel?"

"I would feel the same way until I knew for sure".

"Yeah, right. You would drive me crazy begging for hints".

"Begging for hints? I do not beg for hints, Jennifer. I merely ask you for clues".

"Oh big difference!"

"Well, do you have a surprise for me?"

"You will have to wait and see, Mr. H."

"Wait and see on what?"

"I will decide if I have a surprise for you if and when you decide if you have a surprise for me".

"You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. H."

He grabbed her face and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They caught about 4 more fish a piece, that they could keep, and then several that they couldn't keep.

Jonathan decided to spread a tarp on the sundeck, and clean and gut the fish there, and then they took them downstairs.

They decided on fish tacos, so he grilled the meat while she made the toppings, and they decided to eat upstairs on the deck.

They did the dishes together after they were done, and then Jonathan slipped the blindfold on her.

He picked her up and started to carry her.

"Where are we going?"

"Babe, we are on a boat. Our options are either upstairs or downstairs".

She playfully swatted him.

He carried her up to the deck, and set her in the chair.

"No peeking, just a few more minutes".

She heard him moving around and she heard him making noise, but she couldn't figure out what he was doing.

He came and took her hands again, and then stood her up.

"Babe, trust me?"

"Always, you know that".

"Good. Get on my back, I promise not to drop you. Hold on tight, though".

She climbed on to his back, and held on tight, and he walked over to the side of the boat and began to climb down into the water.

"Babe, swing around to the front of me".

"Ok".

She managed to swing around, and then he turned and placed her somewhere.

"Honey, what is going on?"

"One more minute, babe".

He joined her where she was sitting, and then repositioned her so that she was leaning against him.

He slipped the blindfold off her, and she looked around.

She got excited and looked back at him with a huge smile on her face.

"You didn't?"

He nodded.

"This is amazing! How did you do this without me knowing?"

He had strung a hammock on the side of the boat, and it barely touched the water.

"Well, this morning, I was cleaning all that stuff up, and I saw the hammock in the cabinet. I had forgotten that we had it. So, while you were in the shower, I brought it upstairs. And then when you had the blindfold on, I attached it and now we are in it".

She leaned over and kissed him.

They laid in the hammock, cuddling and kissing for a few hours, and then she shifted to lay more on top of him. As she moved over top of him, the rope connecting the hammock to the ladder snapped, causing them to swing back and Jennifer tumbled into the water.

"Jennifer!"

She bobbed up to the surface and he took her hand and they swam to the ladder and climbed up the ladder and inside the boat. He leaned over the rail and untied the rest of the hammock.

Jennifer was shivering, because the water was freezing. After Jonathan got the hammock back in the boat, he picked her up and carried her downstairs and turned the shower on. He climbed in there with her and wrapped his arms around her while she warmed up.

"You alright?"

She nodded.

"I'm sorry, babe. I tried to catch you".

"It's ok, it's not your fault".

She took the swimsuit bottoms off, and he reached behind her and untied her bikini top. They hung her bathing suit over the top of the shower, and then he washed her hair for her, and conditioned it, and soaped her back.

She leaned against him as he soaped her back, and finally stopped shivering.

He rinsed off her back, and then picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and leaned her back against the shower wall.

He started kissing her neck and reached up and squeezed her breasts. She was running her fingers through his hair, and scratching his back.

He quickly took his swimsuit off, and threw it out of the shower.

He pulled her hips down towards him, and thrust into her, and after a few minutes of pure pleasure, they exploded into ecstasy together, and sealed it with a long, slow kiss.

She held on to him as they left the shower, and then he set her down and got them a towel to dry off with.

"Feel better?"

"Much". She leaned up and kissed him.

He threw on some gym shorts and she threw on some yoga pants and a tank top, and they went up and sat on the deck. He poured them a drink, and she linked her arm through his while he tried to fix the hammock.

After about an hour, he declared it a lost cause.

"Sorry, babe. I tried".

"I appreciate your effort".

"Maybe we can hang it up on the wall in the cabin".

"Maybe not".

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Darling, remember when I said I had a surprise for you?"

"Yes".

"You said you might have one for me too".

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did".

"Did you have a surprise?"

She nodded.

"Can I have it?"

"No, I don't think so".

"No? Why not? I rescued you from the ocean, you know".

"Darling, you were about to get my surprise when the hammock broke. And since it can't be fixed, well, no surprise".

"Oh come on, that's not fair! Can't you at least tell me what it is?"

"Darling, remember yesterday when you told me to lay back and enjoy it, and I asked you if it was going to be that thing we never do or the thing we hardly ever do?"

"Yes, I remember that very well".

"Well, it was the other one".

His eyes grew very wide.

"We were going to do that? You mean, you wanted to?"

She nodded. "For you".

He leaned over and kissed her.

"You know, we are in the middle of the ocean, and we could do that thing right here and nobody would know…."

"Sorry darling, the mood has passed".

He pretended to pout, and then looked at her.

"Anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Buy another hammock".

He kissed her.

"As soon as we get home, darling".

They started to think about dinner, and decided to grill out.

She made them steak and veggie kebabs and Jonathan grilled those along with the rest of the fish.

They were relaxing on deck, looking at the stars after it got dark.

"That was such a good meal we prepared. I don't remember ever eating fish that good".

"I know, I think that must have been the amberjack".

He was sitting sideways on the bench, and she was leaning up against his chest. They had their hands intertwined.

"I wish we could stay out here forever".

"Me too. No more board meetings, no more mergers. Just you, and me, and the sea."

He kissed her head.

"No more friends though, and no more king-sized bed".

"No more poker games."

"No more pedicures, or shopping trips".

"No more movie nights".

"No more baths together".

"No more hot tub".

"No more dinner parties".

"No more cuddling by the fireplace".

"No more bills".

"No more bills? Ok, that's it. We are staying".

"Jonathan! We can't do that, just yet".

"Why not, you said yourself no more bills".

She was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

She leaned back against him, and slowly calmed down.

"Darling, if we could go anywhere in the world, where would you pick?"

"South of France, maybe. Maybe the Amalfi coast".

"What would you do there?"

"Well, I would love to go on an archeological dig in either one of those places".

"No, darling, I meant like a romantic vacation. Just you, and me".

"Darling, we don't have to go anywhere".

"We don't? What are you talking about?"

She shifted to look at him directly.

"Darling, think back. We have had plenty of romance these last 4 days, and we are only 2 hours or so from home".

"That's true".

"We don't need a fancy trip, we just need each other, and a willingness to be together again".

She puckered her lips and he kissed her.

In one swift motion, he picked her up and carried her down below, to bed.

***The next morning***

They woke up and watched the sunrise together, and drank coffee, and then they started slowly making their way back to Los Angeles.

They parked the boat at the marina shortly before lunch, and loaded up the car. He secured the boat, and then drove them home.

***Willow Pond***

It was starting to storm, so he and Jennifer hurried inside and made it upstairs just as the lights went out.

He went down to the refrigerator and grabbed them a bottle of champagne and 2 glasses, and came back upstairs.

She had changed into a spaghetti strap tank and pajama pants.

"Darling, can you see on your watch what time it is?"

He walked over to the window to look.

"It's almost 2".

"Perfect. Maybe I can nap through this storm".

"Don't count on it". He grinned at her.

They climbed into bed, and he wrapped his arms around her, as she laid her head on his chest.

They had a couple glasses of champagne, and listened to the storm with the windows open.

After her second glass, she began to get sleepy, and laid down.

He softly scratched her back till she fell asleep, and then held her as they both napped.

She woke up a few hours later, and laid there with him.

The gate buzzed, so she climbed on top of him and answered it.

"It's Lt. Grey. Can I come up?"

"Sure".

She hung up and looked at Jonathan.

"Jonathan….Jonathan…."

"I knew you couldn't resist".

"No, not that, Lt. Grey is on his way up. We have to get up".

She quickly changed into yoga pants, a bralette, and a tank top, and went to answer the door while he was changing.

"Come on in".

"Thanks."

She and Lt. Grey went to the couch, and Jonathan came down the steps a few minutes later.

"I just wanted to tell you that Stanton is being extradited back to California starting tomorrow. I have been in close talks with the detective in Belize. He has seized his accounts, and the banks are turning them over to us, which we will then turn back over to you. Here's how that works. He gets here, has an arraignment, and the prosecutor and the defense attorney will meet with the judge either before or after the hearing. The prosecutor will take copies of the bank statements, and as long as the judge says they can enter the statements only as evidence, they will go ahead and release the money back to you. If the judge doesn't go for that, you will get it back after the trial. If he pleads not guilty and it goes to trial, you will testify. I imagine that you will testify more, Jonathan, since you dealt with him more. And if he pleads guilty, then you two can testify at the sentencing. As the evidence is so overwhelming, I cannot see any way that he will get a not-guilty verdict".

"What about the burglar?"

"He pled guilty, and accepted his sentence, which is 180 days in the county jail. Good behavior, overcrowding, he will be out in about 60 days, give or take."

They nodded.

Jennifer rested her arms and head on Jonathan's shoulder.

"Do you have a dollar amount on how much is in the accounts?"

"Not in front of me. I can call you with it tomorrow, though. If I recall correctly, he only had time to spend about 75,000 dollars. You will get 95% of your money back, at least".

"Perfect".

Jonathan opened the door to let Lt. Grey out, and felt how chilly it was outside. There was another storm rolling in.

Jennifer went and started dinner for them, and made them a caprese salad, and baked zucchini. She was going to make shrimp scampi when the timer went off.

She came out to the den.

"Darling-dinner will be ready in about an hour".

She found him on the floor, in front of the fireplace. He had just built a fire and was putting cushions down for them.

"What a great idea".

She sat down next to him on the cushions, and leaned back against him.

"I love cuddling by a fire with you". He was kissing her cheek and holding her tight.

"Me too, darling."

She turned and kissed him.

"How about a cocktail?"

"Sure."

She hopped up and got them both a cocktail, and then came back to the cushions on the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her, as they sipped their drinks.

"Darling, I want to tell you something".

She sat up and looked deep into his eyes.

"The last 4 days with you on the boat, and us really trying to love each other again, have been the happiest days I've had in a long, long time. You put so much thought and effort into everything, and I really appreciate it, and you".

She leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

"Babe, I owe you some thanks for standing by me through this whole embezzlement mess. I am so glad that we are recovering our fortune, so that I can continue to spoil you like you deserve".

"Darling, it's not about the fortune. You are an amazing businessman, and you could have rebuilt, very easily. All the money in the world wouldn't change the way I feel about you. We could have been living in a small studio apartment with nothing, and I would gladly do it with you".

"You're wonderful". He pulled her close and kissed her.

He rubbed her back some, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Darling, will you do me a favor?"

"Certainly".

"The next time you are mad at me, will you just look at me and say 'Get the boat ready?'"

She nodded, as she tried not to laugh.

She grabbed her cocktail. "Here's to you, Mr. H".

"Back at you, Mrs. H."

They sealed it with a long, slow kiss.


End file.
